


like a good friend would do

by neotaru



Series: A3! rare pairs week 2020 [1]
Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, MAJOR ACT 3 SPOILER WARNING, no grammar checked, one-sided reni/yukio, one-sided shu/reni, small caps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neotaru/pseuds/neotaru
Summary: and syu? he listened to reiji’s rant like a good friend—friend?—would do.[celebrating the #a3rarepairs2020 hosted by @a3_69min on twitter!day 1: adoration/jealousy - shu/reni]
Relationships: Kamikizaka Reni/Otomiya Shu, Kamikizaka Reni/Tachibana Yukio
Series: A3! rare pairs week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829899
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26
Collections: A3! Rare Pairs Week 2020





	like a good friend would do

_it’s always_ that _person_.

the first time was how he brought up that person in their talk. syu hadn’t met reiji for a while, both being busy in their respective businesses—reiji with his school and him with his family’s theatre troupe. it wasn’t helped with the fact that they live far apart with each other, either.

they met, eventually, because reiji’s family visited his. his mother praising him how beautiful he had grown, even prettier than the last time they met—which was almost ten-something years ago. reiji grew up fine, his face—still—looked cold and purple-ish hair long. he wasn’t originally a bright kid, anyway. they talked. it was awkward at first, probably worsened with the years of absence. small talk didn’t help either, then the news broke out as reiji’s eyes locked with the mask decorating his room.

“i’m doing theatre now.”

reiji came from an artistic family, but it still took him by surprise. “and you got their permission?”

“ _this person_ persuaded them. he was akin to devil, after all. think of how the devil persuaded adam and eve to eat the apple.”

reiji said that, but it didn’t go past syu’s eyes how his eyes and expression soften at the trivial story. ( _it wasn’t that obvious, but to him, being born into a theatre family, it was more than noticeable._ ) “and he succeeded to persuade the mighty kamizaka to join this theatre? interesting. what’s the troupe’s name?”

and reiji went on; telling about how it’s not a troupe, but a _club_. worse, it only had three people, one being a ghost member. reiji complained this and that, how _this person_ would be very optimistic—to the point it was too tiring to see. reiji complained how _this person_ persisted to perform in the NCFUSS despite only having two active members, and so on, and so on.

and syu? he listened to reiji’s rant like a good friend— _friend?_ —would do.

( _but he didn’t miss how reiji’s voice had the subtle hint of adoration towards whoever_ this person _is._

_and syu could feel—for the first time—the ugly feeling grew inside his heart, akin to the one he felt when his brother got the role he wanted—leaving syu to the same old crossdressing role._ )

* * *

_it’s always_ that _person_.

reiji, at that time, would’ve graduated high school. he hadn’t heard anything from him, and that’s expected. being childhood friends doesn’t mean they would have to stay in contact. ( _though syu would be happy to do so._ ) syu continued doing theatre—there’s nothing he could and would do anyway, and he had no idea of what reiji was doing after high school.

news came out days later, through a short pager mail. reiji needed to meet him; he needed to talk about something. syu agreed, as how a good friend would do.

turns out, reiji was kicked out of his house for continuing theatre. well, he wasn’t completely kicked out ruthlessly; his parents gave some pocket money and now reiji lives with _that person_.

“he wanted to build a theatre company.”

“come again?”

“ _that person_ ,” reiji repeated and syu noticed the old adoring tone. “he wanted to build a theatre company. he pitched this idea after our graduation, talked about how he would recruit ikaruga hakkaku to write for his troupe.”

ikaruga hakkaku was this renowned scriptwriter; basically a big figure in the theatre industry. syu wondered who the hell was _this person_ who even thought of recruiting the ikaruga hakkaku to a newly-born theatre company. “and you agreed?”

“of course. i told you he was akin to a devil.” of course syu remembered.

“and now, why did you want to meet me?”

reiji lifted his head and looked at him. “you’re my best friend and one of the best actors i’ve known. i want to recruit you as the new member of his troupe.”

syu winced at reiji’s words. for a _reason_. “and you come to me, knowing i’ve got a troupe to take care of?”

reiji went quiet for a while, as if weighing his own words for a response. “you’re the only person i could think of—i want to help him. if i help him—if i could help tachibana to build the company, help him recruit members, i might— i could—”

“you might?”

“i might see him act again on the stage, one day.”

( _syu thought he had forgotten the ill feeling he felt years ago, now that he had got things under his control—but it went back again, right after he heard reiji’s response._ )

“...okay.”

( _and he agreed, like a good friend would do._ )

* * *

_it’s always_ that _person_.

even after syu joined the troupe—director tachibana yukio named it ‘mankai company’, as he wanted to see his actors bloom on the stage—it’s always _that person_ for reiji. he had a fair share of time spent alone with reiji for they belonged to the same sub-troupe in the company. as he had moved to the company’s dorm, he lived under the same roof as reiji.

he should be happy. he couldn’t—he _shouldn’t_ be greedy, as it’s always that person for reiji.

even the reason the atmosphere at the troupe went chilly was reiji’s argument with _that person_.

even the reason reiji quitted the troupe two years was _that person_.

even the reason reiji built his own troupe to match mankai company was that person.

_it’s always_ that _person for reiji_.

( _the very same emotion he felt years ago went back—syu called it jealousy_.)

but when director tachibana went missing and the company was breaking apart, reiji was still fine. he soared high with his troupe, far from mankai’s downfall. ( _at least, reiji’s fine._ )

* * *

_it’s always_ that _person_.

even after twenty something years, it’s always _that person_ for reiji. reiji now goes with the name kamikizaka reni—which he also got from _that person_ , even though he used to complain how that person was too dumb to remember ‘ _reiji_ ’ instead of ‘ _reni_ ’. ( _syu had to admit that the name fit him like a glove, but that’s fine because he’s the only person who calls reni with his real name._ )

he also heard that reni’s troupe is having a showdown match with the newborn mankai theatre. syu thought he was having a comprehension problem when he first heard the news—turns out, director tachibana’s daughter revived the theatre with the old system but new actors.

when he asked reiji why, the answer he got was, “she reminded me so much of his father.”

( _not only that, syu knew the meaning of reiji’s new troupe’s name—god-za, in the middle of his drinking rounds with reiji._

_“you don’t know, syu, because he said he would never act on the stage again. it was only a short act, probably shorter than fifteen minutes. hakkaku-san only sent him a one-page script, but he was able to bring the script alive. he was... god-like. i went to build my own troupe with the hope that i can find a talent like his, but i couldn’t. he was one of a kind... akin to a devil...”_ )

and then syu realised, in the middle of his drinking rounds, that—

—be it two or twenty years, it will always be _that person_ for reiji.

**Author's Note:**

> NCFUSS — National Culture for Upper Secondary School
> 
> this is my day 1 entry for #a3rarepairs2020 and since we have very little information about syu and reni’s childhood, things don’t appear in the main story are purely headcanon! (also i don’t know syu’s age yet... apologies...)
> 
> thank you [nura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseuds/%5BAyu_Go%5D) for the beta!
> 
> talk with me on  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/%5Bsttscgsk%5D)


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